


Late Night Talk

by AussieWriter1



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Mentions of Barry Allen - Freeform, lots of mentions of eobard thawne, mentions of Cisco Ramon, sits somewhere in season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 01:45:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16863889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AussieWriter1/pseuds/AussieWriter1
Summary: Caitlin finds Harry working late at STAR Labs one night and brings him coffee. They discuss the thinking cap, and Caitlin's history with Eobard Thawne.





	Late Night Talk

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! So after watching the 100th episode of The Flash (and loving the Snowells moments, no matter how small), I revisited an old fic I had outlined but never finished. Decided there was no time like the present to finish and upload it! Hope you enjoy!

Harry slammed his screwdriver onto the bench top, and listened to the sound echo throughout the empty workshop. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to bring his anger under control. He loosened his grip on the screwdriver. Once he had counted to ten and back, Harry slowly opened his eyes to glare at his still unfinished thinking cap.

He still couldn’t figure out how to make the damn thing work. He knew things would go a lot faster with Cisco’s help, but the young man was stubbornly refusing to assist him. Cisco claimed it was too dangerous, but Harry knew it was more dangerous to not have some kind of plan in the works with Devoe still wreaking havoc. 

In the distance, Harry heard a faint clicking sound. He lifted his head, staring at the wall in front of him as he tried to determine its source. Before he could, however, a voice called from the doorway.

“No rest for the wicked?”

Harry smirked. Of course she would be here. He turned to see Caitlin standing there, grinning at him. Despite all his anger and frustration, the sight of the young scientist instantly lifted his spirits, as it always did. His mood was elevated even more this time though, as Harry noticed the two cups of coffee Caitlin was holding.

“So goes the saying.” Harry replied, turning in his chair to face Caitlin properly.

“I figured.” Caitlin moved towards him, her heels clicking on the floor. “Coffee?”

“When did-“

“I knew it would be impossible to get you to leave, so I thought I’d save time by skipping straight to the coffee.” Caitlin handed him his cup, and Harry took it gratefully.

“You know me too well, Snow.” Harry’s voice was quiet, his anger from before almost completely forgotten. How someone could maintain their anger when around Caitlin, Harry didn’t know. “I didn’t know Jitters was open this late.”

“It’s not.” Caitlin sipped her coffee. “But I know a great 24 hour cafe nearby. I’ll have to show it to you someday.”

Harry grinned. “I’d like that.”

He turned back toward his desk, and he felt Caitlin move closer. He could see her out of the corner of his eye as she leaned over his shoulder. He found himself wishing she would move closer, just so he would have an excuse to brush his arm against hers. Shaking his head slightly, Harry worked to put that thought out of his mind, just as he did whenever he found himself thinking about Caitlin in that light.

Harry was once again brought out of his thoughts by Caitlin’s voice.

“Still working on the cap?”

Harry huffed, his frustrating bubbling again. “More tinkering than working, but yeah.”

There was a small beat of silence, before Caitlin moved closer. “Well too bad.” She quickly spun his chair around, and he let out a small yelp of protest. Caitlin cut him off however. “We both need a break, Harry. Just until we finish our coffee, then I’ll leave you be.”

Harry pouted, childishly. He perked up when he noticed Caitlin smiling at his expression. “That’s fair, I suppose.”

Caitlin laughed softly as she settled herself into a chair opposite him. Harry took a swig of his coffee. He noted happily that she knew his coffee order by heart.

A few moments passed as they both enjoyed their respective drinks, as well as the simple silence in each other’s company. They could both turn their brains off for a little while, pushing their work far from their minds. Harry could tell Caitlin needed the break as much as he did, so he didn’t press her about why she was hanging around the lab so late, as much as he wanted to. If she wanted him to know, she would tell him.

Instead, Harry felt a different question begin to gnaw at him. As much as he dreaded Caitlin’s answer, he knew he needed to ask regardless. 

“Snow-“

“Harry-“

Both scientists laughed at their synchronisation. They always seemed to be in sync, Harry had noticed. Every time he did, it made his heart swell, and tonight was no exception. As he mused, Caitlin managed to speak before him, forcing him into asking the question he desperately didn’t want to.

“Go ahead.” Caitlin smiled.

Harry hesitated, before diving in. “Can I ask you something? About the thinking cap?”

“Of course.” Caitlin’s expression became curious, and Harry could tell she knew there were a million ways this conversation could go. He supposed she was probably predicting a scientific proposition, perhaps something about how his brain would be affected by the cap. And as much as Harry wanted to have that discussion at some point, he knew there was a more important question he needed answered.

“You think it’s a good idea, don’t you?” Harry noted Caitlin’s face as it changed from curious to concerned. He pressed on. “I mean, you’re behind me using it.”

It took Caitlin a moment to answer, and Harry could see the wheels turning in her head. His heart was beating rapidly. He didn’t know what he would do if Caitlin told him she didn’t want him to use the cap. The rest of the team being against it was one thing, but Caitlin disapproving was another. However, Caitlin surprised him with her reply. “This is about Cisco, isn’t it?”

Harry let his eyes fall to his cup, as he let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. Of course Caitlin would deduce the real worry behind his query. Of course she would cut straight to the heart of the matter. She knew him so well.

Glancing up at his fellow scientist, Harry saw that Caitlin was staring at him carefully. She was going to wait for his answer, no matter how long it took to get it. She wasn’t going to let him get away with changing the subject, or pretending he wasn’t annoyed by Cisco’s consistent hatred towards his idea. He found himself speaking quickly, saying his true thoughts about Cisco’s concerns out loud for the first time.

“He’s still refusing to help me with it!” Harry knew his tone was childish, but he couldn’t help it. “I mean, who does he think I am? Thawne?”

Harry regretted his words instantly, as he watched Caitlin stiffen. She swallowed, and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Harry wished he could take the words back, but there was nothing to be done.

However, Caitlin surprised him again. She didn’t get angry, or call him out for his childish impotence. Rather, she became very quiet, and when she spoke her tone was one of complete seriousness.

“You know how close Cisco was to the other Wells, right?”

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed, confused as to where Caitlin was going with this. “He was like a son to him, I know.”

“It was more than that. And I think the possibility of losing another close friend, one that shares the same face no less, is hard for him.” Caitlin hesitated, and Harry could almost hear the unsaid words. Suddenly he realised just how much losing a Thawne look-a-like would affect Caitlin as well. “Just give him a little bit. He’ll come around.”

“Thank you Snow.” Harry took a moment as he digested Caitlin’s words properly. He watched as she used her finger to trace the lip of the coffee cup, clearly lost in thought. He knew he probably shouldn’t ask, but if he didn’t ask now, the moment would be lost. “I don’t think I’ve ever asked what your relationship was like with him.”

Caitlin’s head snapped up. “With Thawne?”

“You don’t have to answer-” Harry tried to put Caitlin at ease, already regretting bringing it up.

“No!” Caitlin cut him off. “It’s just … I’ve never really talked to anyone about that before.”

Harry sat quietly as Caitlin gathered her thoughts. He wasn’t going to do or say anything to jeopardise this moment. He was wildly curious as to what her answer was going to be. He knew Cisco’s history with the man, almost from front to finish. But Caitlin’s relationship with him was shrouded in mystery, and Harry was desperate to find out why.

Finally, Caitlin looked up at him, and began.

“I knew him for years before Barry became the Flash. In fact I think I was one of the first people he brought on board when STAR Labs started work on the Particle Accelerator.” Caitlin smiled wistfully. “It’s funny, I was only a couple years out of school, and despite other places offering me jobs where I could have had my own lab, could have made more money … I chose Dr. Wells. My mother called me crazy, but somehow even then I knew that STAR Labs was where I was supposed to be.”

Harry caught himself before he could agree. If he hadn’t, he knew he would have admitted to having that exact same feeling when he had meet her and Team Flash for the first time. It had taken him a long while to accept that initial connection, and he still wasn’t quite ready to tell anyone. Before that thought could go too far, Caitlin continued.

“Wells himself was kind, polite, friendly … That is, if you kept your head down and did your job.” Caitlin’s eyes had glazed over, and Harry could tell she was lost inside her memories. He felt a spark of anger; the man planned to kill most of his employees whilst also betraying the whole city, and yet he still maintained a facade of innocence and kindness? Thawne had willingly let Caitlin believe that everything was going to be fine despite knowing that he was sending her fiancé to his death? Harry clenched his fist around his coffee cup, trying to stop it from it from shaking as Caitlin went on.

“He always used to keep a close eye on me and my work, and then did the same with Cisco when he came along. I thought it was sweet at the time, that maybe he was grooming us to take over one day. It wasn’t until after everything came out about him that I realised he only did it because he needed to ensure we stuck around after the explosion.”

There was a bitterness in Caitlin’s voice that Harry had never heard before. It made him want to go back in time and punch that bastard in the face for what he put Caitlin and Cisco through. He had manipulated them to secure their loyalty, and then stabbed them in the back the minute they became redundant to his plans.

“I’m sorry, Caitlin.” It was incredibly lame, but it was all Harry could conjure after hearing Caitlin’s story. She had been through hell and back, and yet she was still the kindest person he had ever known. Despite his terrible attempt at consolation, Caitlin smiled slightly.

“Thank you, Harry.” Her smile remained, but Harry saw the sadness behind her eyes, just as he heard the heartache in her voice. “If he had just told us the truth, we would have found a way to send him home peacefully. But instead he lied through his teeth, and we were left to pick up the pieces.”

“And you never considered leaving? Even after the explosion?”

“I thought about it a few times. But Cisco was determined to stay, and with Dr. Wells in his chair … It just seemed right to stick around, particularly after we picked up Barry.” Caitlin looked thoughtful for a moment. “It’s funny though, I must have done or said something while we were working on the accelerator to make Thawne think I was going to leave.”

Harry felt confusion cloud his brain. Thawne knew the future, which meant it was incredibly likely he knew Caitlin was going to be one of Barry’s most trusted allies. Which meant she would have to have been around after the explosion, when Barry was brought into STAR Labs for treatment and testing. It didn’t make sense that Thawne would have been worried about Caitlin leaving. “What makes you say that?”

“Back when we were working on the Accelerator, whenever I got a job offer from another lab, Thawne would suddenly give me something new and exciting to work on.” Caitlin scrunched up her nose in disgust. “Now that I think about it, he probably had access to all our personal emails and computers. Nothing in the lab would have been a secret to him.”

Harry found himself trying to lighten the mood. He couldn’t bare to see Caitlin wallow in the pain these memories were bringing up. Memories, he remembered guiltily, that he had asked her to relive. “He must have had to come up with a lot of new ideas then. I imagine you would have gotten plenty of offers.”

Caitlin blushed at that, and Harry felt a twinge of pride at the effortless compliment.

“You flatter me Harry.” Caitlin cast her gaze away, and Harry could tell she was building herself up to something. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long to find out what it was. “It wasn’t always a new assignment. Once it was my own lab, another time he even asked me out to keep me around.”

Harry’s heart slammed to a halt. Thawne had asked Caitlin out? Surely Caitlin was right, he tried to rationalise. Surely it was just an attempt to make sure she stayed. As Caitlin kept her eyes averted and took a small sip of her coffee, Harry knew it wasn’t just that. Thawne had always intended to go back to his time, way off in the future. It wasn’t impossible that he had entertained the idea of bringing someone back with him. Someone that would be a great ally to the Flash. Someone that would be a great ally to anyone who had gained her loyalty.

Clearing his throat, Harry tried frantically to claw his brain out of the hole it had quickly dug itself into.

“Did you go out with him?” Harry simultaneously wanted and didn’t want to hear Caitlin’s response.

Caitlin’s eyes found his again, and from that simple look Harry had his answer before Caitlin even opened her mouth.

“No. I had just started dating Ronnie, so I gently turned him down.”

Relief flooded Harry’s chest. He wasn’t sure how he would have reacted to hearing that Caitlin had actually dated the psychopath. Her experience with Zoom had been bad enough. The trauma from Harrison Wells being revealed as the Reverse Flash might have broken her, or anyone in her position. “I imagine he didn’t take that well.”

“Actually, he was a gentleman about it. I think it had something to do with Ronnie working at STAR Labs. If both of us had steady jobs there, why would either of us leave?”

“That makes sense.” Harry took a quick swig from his rapidly cooling coffee. There was something in Caitlin’s voice that made it clear she didn’t completely believe what she was saying. But she had obviously locked away all doubt, and for good reason. Besides, Harry mused, Thawne was gone. There was no point losing sleep over the man’s true intentions.

After a small moment of silence between the two scientists as they both digested Caitlin’s story, Harry found himself speaking.

“If you hadn’t been with Ronnie, would you have said yes?” He didn’t know what compelled him to ask, and luckily Caitlin didn’t seem disturbed. Instead, she appeared unsure. Almost like she had asked herself the same question a hundred times, and yet still come out empty-handed.

“I honestly don’t know.”

There was another round of silence, and Harry suddenly didn’t feel like coffee anymore. He placed the cup on the desk behind him carefully. This action appeared to break whatever train of thought Caitlin was following, as she snapped her eyes up to meet his own. 

“I suppose I should let you get back to work.” Caitlin stood, and while Harry wanted nothing else but for her to stay, it was clear she needed space. He realised she probably hadn’t thought about Thawne and their almost-relationship in a long, long time. She would need some time to recover, and Harry had to grant her that no matter how selfish he wanted to be.

“I suppose I should let you get back to yours.” He said quietly.

Caitlin nodded, before moving toward the door. Harry turned his chair around so that he was facing his desk once more. He was about to pick up his forgotten screwdriver when Caitlin’s voice sounded once more.

“Hey, Harry?”

“Yeah?” He turned towards Caitlin. There was an expression on his face he couldn’t quite decipher. 

“You’ll tell me if the cap gets too much, right? You won’t do that thing where you think you can handle it yourself?”

There was a light teasing to her voice, but Harry could hear the genuine concern lying underneath. The “of course” lie died on his tongue as he stared at the beautiful scientist before him. The one who was the first person on this Earth to distinguish him from his evil-counterpart. The woman who had just opened up about how deeply hurt she had been by the man who shared his face. And for the first time in his life, Harry couldn’t bring himself to lie. He refused to betray Caitlin, even if it killed him.

“I’ll tell you.”

“Thank you.” With that, Caitlin turned and left the room. Harry spun back towards his thinking cap, but found his mind empty, devoid of everything that wasn’t a brunette biochemist. He couldn’t think.

The irony was not lost on him.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this little oneshot! I can never get enough of these two. While I ship other versions of Snowells, the relationship between two will always be my number #1. Lemme know your thoughts (not only about the fic but about snowells in general)! Hope your day is amazing, all my love <3


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